Sprecher Brewing Company - Oktoberfest

It may seem a bit early for Oktoberfest beers, but we say it’s never too early!  Actually, Oktoberfest-style beers, known also as “märzen,” are so popular as to be produced by many brewers year-round.  For Sprecher, their Oktoberfest is a seasonal, but it’s a wide season – this brew is available from July through December.  Anyway, expect good clarity on the pour from this medium amber colored beer.  As we expect for the style, the nose tends toward the malty side of things, with hops adding just a light spiciness.  On the palate, a lightly toasty and mildly bready malt profile makes up the core of this tasty Oktoberfest.  There’s a mild residual sweetness and good caramel malt expression, while a touch of noble hop spiciness and light bitterness stand as foils to the malty backbone.  Being specialists in German-style beers, it’s no surprise they’ve created such a really nice rendition of an Oktoberfest. Try it with grilled beer-poached brats with sauerkraut.  Cheers!

Sprecher Brewing Company has impressed us for quite some time now.  With more than 20 different beers in their brewing portfolio, including seasonal and limited release brews, we’ve pretty much liked everything we’ve been able to get our hands on.  Likely the first thing you’ll notice is that the bottles look foreign; the German name implies German origins, and with the typeface and the griffin on their logo, one definitely gets the impression of an old German brewery (an impression that will be bolstered after trying the beer!).  But, a little more examination reveals “Est. Milwaukee 1985.”

Randal (Randy) Sprecher, a former Pabst Brewing Company brewing supervisor, founded Sprecher Brewing Company in Milwaukee, WI in 1985 with an emphasis on German-style beers.  After about a decade, the company had grown to the point where they needed a larger facility, and in 1994 the brewery was moved to its current location a few miles to the north in Glendale, WI.  The new, bigger brewery offered the company the room to keep growing, and they have established themselves as significant contributors to the city of Milwaukee’s impressive brewing tradition which reaches far beyond the presence of the current mega-brewery that’s based in the city.  In the late 19th century, Milwaukee boasted over 80 breweries, but Prohibition led to the demise of most of them in 1919.  Nevertheless, the city can be spoken of historically as a craft brewing haven, and the success of the Sprecher beers there in recent years shows that the enthusiasm for great beer is still alive and well.

If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area, check out the Sprecher brewery and buy as many brews as you can bring home with you (you might need an extra suitcase!).  For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, visit their website at www.sprecherbrewery.com or call them at call (414) 964-2739.